Here's one from the bookshelf. I've long been weirdly obsessed with cooking shows, reality TV cooking contests and shows about going to restaurants and eating. A friend recommended I read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" and I finally went to the library and found a copy.

People might know Bourdain now from his show, "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. But before he was visiting exotic locations to eat the cuisine, he was an executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York. And it's from all of his years in restaurants that Bourdain gives a down and dirty report on the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite restaurant.

Some of it may be unappetizing, but the book is intensely readable and Bourdain's journey from culinary school rebel into executive chef (and still a rebel) is an enjoyable one. And oh, the stuff he witnesses. Through it all, Bourdain maintains his love of cooking, ingredients and wanting to wow people (whether in a good way or a bad way) with food. He also gives the reader a look at the people cooking by his side, from the eccentric to the downright weird.

If you're a fellow food-TV addict like me and haven't read this one yet, check it out. It's a great behind-the-scenes look into the world of chefs. And you may never look at "No Reservations" the same again.

"Kitchen Confidential" is published by Bloomsbury.